This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. Don’t freak out.

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Most Americans have never been to Tennessee. However, as the people who live there know, Tennessee is an awesome state.

But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, Tennessee has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Volunteer State. Don’t shoot the messenger, this is all using data.

After analyzing more than 131 of Tennessee’s smallest cities, we came up with this list as the 10 worst small towns in Tennessee where you’d never want to live:

How do you decide if a place is lousy or not?

In order to rank the worst small towns to live in Tennessee, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. It isn’t a stretch to assume that people like low crime, solid education, things to do and a stable economy.

So we scraped the internet for those criteria, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.

How we crunched the numbers

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using FBI crime data, the Census’s 2010-2014 American Community Survey, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this is the criteria we used:

Population Density (The lower the worse)

Highest Unemployment Rates

Low housing costs (meaning there’s no demand)

Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)

We looked at cities with populations between 100 and 1,000 people, of which, there were a lot – 131 to be exact.

Additional note: We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets its crime numbers from the cities themselves. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.

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1. Lakewood Park

Population: 615 Median Income: $24,519Median Home Value: $44,400

2. Iron City

Source: Public Domain

Population: 236 Median Income: $20,855Median Home Value: $24,100

3. Winfield

Population: 843 Median Income: $27,000Median Home Value: $68,800

4. Beersheba Springs

Population: 565 Median Income: $26,548Median Home Value: $67,800

5. Henning

Population: 866 Median Income: $21,078Median Home Value: $55,900

6. Palmer

Population: 691 Median Income: $24,632Median Home Value: $61,400

7. Gallaway

Population: 948 Median Income: $23,125Median Home Value: $160,000

8. Coalmont

Population: 806 Median Income: $26,019Median Home Value: $83,700

9. Stanton

Population: 434 Median Income: $18,194Median Home Value: $76,200

10. Morrison

Population: 706 Median Income: $34,107Median Home Value: $97,500

There You Have It – The Worst Small Towns In Tennessee

If you’re analyzing teeny places in the Volunteer State with the worst economic situations, where there’s high crime and there’s not a lot to do, this is an accurate list.

If you’re curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in Tennessee, according to science.

10 thoughts on “These Are The 10 Worst Small Towns In Tennessee For 2018”

I am just a little curious as to why three out of the ten towns listed were all out of the county. Another interesting addition to the article was the list titled “Ranking of the 100 worst small towns in Tennessee”. when the article did not claim to have analyzed more than a total of 110 towns. I personally lived in Grundy County for 5 years as a teenager, in Palmer. I graduated, as did most of our class of 2008. Someone once told me that there are a lot of bad, mean people in Grundy County but just leave them alone and mind your own business. However that person also told me that in the very same county lies some of the very best, sweetest and kindest people that you will find anywhere. They were right. When there are hardships, everyone bands together, takes up money, and helps out. There are also a lot of wonderful teachers and programs for students that encourage community service and positive lifestyles. Just remember that in any county there is good and bad, you have to choose what you embrace.

Whoever wrote this, there’s a valuable lesson in this for you. There’s a big difference between what paper says and what an actual environment is like. Besides pushing a pen and mouse to gather info and data on locations, visit them and EXPERIENCE the very thing you wish to trash talk.

Did you half wit journalist even actually visit any of these towns. If you drive an hour from Palmer you are about 50 minutes past where Mary’s kitchen was at. I would say with about 10 minutes of real research a person could find out a lot better info on all of these towns. When did you visit Palmer, Coalmont, or Beersheba Mr Tapman. Or are you just a big city internet troll with nothing to do?

What a load of crap. You choose a lot of factor which you think is bad but the residents prefer.

Many of these small communities are farm communities so you have some good hard working neighbors.

Lower cost housing means you can get more house for your dollar in these communities.

A number of these town are filled with retirees who left the city to return to small town living. After 55 years of living and working in Memphis my dad chose to return to Milledgeville to retire. So did four of his siblings. All returned to their family homestead area to spend their latter years.

Most of the crime was due to a small portion of youth which had drug issues and many of them did not originally live in this area.

We still keep my late father’s property and home in Milledgeville and gather there twice a year. And nothing has turned up missing in all this time except for when he was visited by people he knew from Memphis.

Problem is you look at things through the eyes of urban-ites. You have no concept of what country living is about.

I am from Coalmont some of the best people live here they are true neighbors loving carding willing to help people I feel sorry for people that live in city’s and don’t know there next door neighbor get sick or have a member of your family die its amazing at the pouring out of love they share .

Guys tn is a great place to live so is michie eastview and the surrounding towns we dont have alot of crimes anf there’s a ton if stuff to do the best part is idiots like you dont live here the true american people live here we work hard and play harder. We help our nieghbors andook out for each other and if you had stopped to ask any of us you wo uld see how ww truly are so fuck you and your opions my address is 111 steward lane ramer tn come see how we really are before you judge us

According to your so called scientific article, and I use that term very loosely, I live between 3 of the most dangerous and destitute towns in TN although I have my Masters Degree and earn a 6 figure income. I live between Guys, Ramer, and Eastview, oh, I’m sure you actually know these towns and visited them before you wrote this garbage you call an article! Before you pass judgement on any other person living in another city, county or state, I invite you to actually visit the area! I believe that you will discover you are so very wrong! Your article blast people that are warm, kind and God fearing. These people would bend over backwards to help their neighbors and strangers alike regardless of color, political views or religious affiliation! Your article is nothing but garbage and a slap in the face to those that choose to live in rule areas. You sir or madam need to go back to school and learn another profession, because your career opportunities are very limited in journalism given the lack of talent on your part.